Car cooling apparatus



Patented Nov. 24, 1931 PATENT OFFICE DONALD PARKER, OF FRESNO, GAIIFGRNIA.

- CAR COOLING APPARATUS Application filed December 23, 1929. Serial No. 415,967.

The present invention relates to car cooling apparatus, and provides a simple, eflicient arrangement of mechanism capable of being quickly set up and removed from the car when the loading is completed, and by the use of which a circulation of air through the boxed fruit from the car cooling chamber is maintained as the boxed fruit is progressively packed in the car.

It is common practice to load boxes of packed fresh fruit for shipment into cars, to periodically collect the cars from various packing houses and haul them to a general pre-cooling station where chilled air is circulated therethrough to reduce the temperature to approximately 40 degrees. It maybe assumed that the major portion of such packing for shipment is at a season of year when atmospheric temperature is relatively high. The delay between loading and pre-cooling of the fruit is caused by the fact that precooling stations are usually remotely lodated and the car of loaded fruit may stand for many hours before being switched into the train, and may be several hours in transit before it reaches the general pro-cooling station. During this interval, decay is taking place; and to avoid this long interval between loading and the general pro-cooling station, it is desirable to lower the temperature of the fruit at the earliest moment in an endeavor to arrest decay and deterioration and deliver fruit well preserved to the distant markets. It is to arrest this deterioration at the earliest 5 possible moment that the present invention is designed,

The most recent method is to load the boxed fruit direct from the packing house into refrigerator cars which are provided with refrigeration means, and as the loading progresses, to remove as much heat as is possible from the fruit, thus lowering the temperature thereof prior to the closing and sealing of the car, preparatory to transit to the general pro-cooling station.

The principal objects of this invention are to provide means whereby a draft of chilled air may be passed through the boxed fruit, as the loading of the car is in progress, and to provide a flexible chamber-forming part1- tion which may be advanced in its operative position progressively as the car is loaded without the necessity of the operator employing tools or passing over the boxed fruit to obtain access to the partition mounting means. A further object is to provide a slmple form of temporary chambers adapted to air circulation therethrough, whereby a continuous forced draft circulation of cooling air is maintained through the boxed fruit. A further object is to provide an air circulating means which may be progressively moved from the end of the car toward the center, as the boxed fruit is stacked therein, whereby an air circulation for the full length of the tiered boxes is maintained. Another object is to provide a wall forming member which dividesthe car into an end chamber within which the air circulation through the refrigerating means and tiered boxes is maintained in a closed path. and which is readily movable toward the center of the car as the number of tiered boxes increases, and which hereinafter described, illustrated in the accompanying drawings and pointed out in the claims hereto appended; it being understood that various changes in the form, proportion, size and minor details of construction within the scope of the claims may be resorted to without departing from the s irit or sacrificing any of the advantages 0 the invention.

To more fully comprehend the invention, reference is directed to the accompanying drawings, wherein like characters of reference designate corresponding parts in the several views, and in which Fig. 1 is a view in longitudinal vertical section of a portion of a refrigerator car of the conventional type with the preferred embodiment of my invention in position therein.

similar to struts 11 engages the car side Walls near the ceiling above the circulating means 19 and supports the upper end of a substantially vertical partition forming member 25, preferably of canvas, depending therefrom so as to fall loosely therefrom to the car floor and form a partition transverse the longitudinal dimension of the car.

If desired, the wall forming member 25' may be divided into sections, one section extending from the strut 25 to the air circulating means 19, and another section depending from the circulating means to the car floor. In either arrangement, the member 25 divides the end of the car transversely in a vertical plane forming a compartment in which the cooled air circulation is taking place and excludes from the compartments above and below partition 10 the air from other parts of the car.

In placing the boxes in rows and tiers in the car, it is manifest that they would not be so tightly packed that no crevice would exist therebetween, even though no predetermined spacing were provided, and this fact permlts the partition 25' to hang in front of the packed boxes, as at 28, and the position of strut 25 may then be advanced, and the partitions 25' repositioned forward of the newly piled boxes, and the circulating means 19 and the surplus portion 26 of partition 10 may be advanced accordingly. Or, if desired, the box truckers or an operator raise the members 25' as the additional tiers of boxes are positioned in the chamber and the partition 25' moved from time to time as required.

As the end of the car becomes filled and boxes approach the car center, the circulating means 19 is advanced, with the progressive filling of the car, the folded material 26 is unfolded, the member 25 is advanced toward the car doors enlarging the car end chamber. The contents of the chamber can be thus maintained under refrigeration at all times regardless of what is" taking place in the remainder of the car. The cooling progresses as the compartment content increases and the car can be completely filled from end to end and the entire contents cooled as the circulating apparatus rests o-nthe boxes of the tiers during the cooling operation. By the use of the apparatus as described, very little extra time is required to cool thelast loaded boxes after the loading of the car is completed. vWhen loading is completed, all of the apparatus is readily removable from the car through the doors.

I claim 1. An apparatus for circulating air from the refrigerating chamber of a refrigerator car, through the car, and returning it to the chamber, comprising a flexible horizontally disposed member for positioning transversely of the car to divide the car into upper and lower chambers extending from the refrigerating chamber wall toward the car center,

each of said chambers communicating with an independent opening into the refrigerating chamber, a sectional strut secured to and extending transversely across the flexible member and adapted at its ends for detachably engaging the car side walls and aflording a relatively rigid structure when in operative position for retaining the flexible member in position transverse of the car, portable means for creating an air circulation from one chamber to the other and through the refrigerating chamber, said meansadap-ted for movement progressively from one end of the car toward its center, means connected with said sectional strut and extending toward the car center for operation to release the strut from engagement with the car side walls and her for dividing the car transversely into up-' per and lower chambers extending from one end thereof toward the center and one chamber containing the car contents, a movable partition member for dividing the'car-transversely in a vertical plane into compartments, one extending to the end of the car and containing the chambers and the car contents, said flexible member being progressively extensible from the car end toward its center, and said partition member being adapted for progressive movement from the end toward the center of the car, and means for causing the air circulation from one chamber to the other within said compartments and in a defined path relative to a refrigerating means within the car which path communicates with both chambers at corresponding ends.-

3. A portable apparatus for cooling the contents of refrigerator cars as the contents are placed therein comprising, means for dividing the car transversely into upper and lower chambers extending from one end thereof toward the center and one chamber containing the car contents, a partition for dividing the car transversely in a vertical planeinto compartments, one extending to the end-of the car and containing the charm bers and the car contents, said first means being progressively extensible from the car end toward-its center, and said partition member being adapted for progressive movement from the end toward the center ofthe car, and portable means adapted for progressive movement from the end of the compartment toward its center for causing an air circulation from one chamber to the other within said compartment, and in a defined path relative to a refrigerating means communicatingjl with both chambers at corresponding en s.

4. A portable apparatus for cooling the contents of refrigerator cars as the contents are placed therein comprising, means for dividing the car transversely into upper and lower chambers extending from one end thereof toward the center and one chamber containing the car contents, means for dividing the car transversely in a vertical plane into compartments, one extending to the end of the car and containing the chambers and the car contents, said first means being progressively extensible from the car end toward its center, and said second means being adapted for progressive movement from the end toward the center of the car, and portable means supported by the car contents for progressive movement from the end of the compartment toward the center of the car as the car-contents progresses toward the center of the car for causing an air circulation at one end of the car content-s -longi tudinally through the chambers and in a fixed path relatively through a refrigerating means communicating with both chambers at corresponding ends.

5. A car cooling apparatus for cars having a refrigeration compartment comprising a curtain extending transversely of the car at one side of the door opening, said curtain extending from side to side and ceiling to floor of the car'and providing at the end of said car a compartment communicating with the interior of the refrigeration compartment through openings at the top and bottom thereof, alongitudinal extensible curtain disposed transversely of the car end compartment from side to side of the car in a substantial horizontal plane with one end in close proximity to the wall of the refrigeration compartment intermediate the top and bottom openings and dividing the car end compartment into a plurality of superimposed chambersdnto the lowermost of which the car contents to be cooled and transported is deposited, and means within the end'compartment for causing an air circulation therein from one chamber to another and through the refrigeration compartment in a fixed direction.

6. A car cooling apparatus comprising an elongated portable chamber provided in its bottom wall with air inlet openings and in another wall with an air outlet, means connected with the chamber for causing an air circulation in a fixed path therethrough, a vertically disposed partition member mounted closely at one side of the chamber and adapted to separate the space in a car into compartments, and a horizontally disposed partition member having one end portion positioned ,closely to the said chamber intermediate the air inlet and air outlet openings.

7. An apparatus for circulating air from the refrigerating chamber of a refrigerator car through a portion of the car and returning it to the chamber, comprising a fabric member for positioning transversely of the car to divide the same into upper and lower chambers extending from the refrigerator chamber wall-toward the car center, portable means for creating an air circulation from one chamber to the other and through the refrigerating chamber, said means movable progressively from one end of the car toward its center,'and a curtain wall disposed at one side of the car door opening and extending transversely ofthe car from the ceiling in a vertical plane for providing a compartment at the 'end of the car within which said chambers and said circulating means are located.

8. A portable apparatus for cooling the contents of cars having refrigeration means, as the contents are laced therein comprising, means for dividing the car transversely into upper and lower chambers extending from and communicating with the refrigeration means, a partition for dividing the car transversely in a vertical plane into compartments, one of which includes the portion of the car containing the refrigeration means and the upper and lower chambers, said first means being progressively extensible from the refrigeration means toward the center of the car, and said partition being adapted for progressive movement from the refrigeration means toward the center of the car, and portable means adapted to be supported by the car contents, and for progressive movement. from the end of the compartment toward the center of the car for causing an air circulation in a defined path between the lower and upper chambers and through the refrigeration means communicating with both upper and lower chambers at corresponding ends thereof.

In testimony whereof I have signed my name to this specification.

DONALD PARKER.

Nov. 24, 1931. A. PATERSON 1,833,035

MEMBER FOR USE IN THE PRODUCTION OF CONVEX METAL I SHEETS AND METHOD FOR PROCESSING THE SAME Filed Jan. 18, 1929 gmnntoc ((Zeza 12 JQrR'f I'JOn c-wervaj duct/MM 

